The Public Health Agency of Canada has announced that the death toll from a salmonella outbreak linked to Marichita and Rudy brand cantaloupe has risen to five.
No deaths have been reported on Vancouver Island, but seven people on the island have been reported to have contracted salmonella illness after eating cantaloupe.
As of December 7, there have been 129 laboratory-confirmed salmonellosis cases.
The majority of cases have been reported in Quebec, but there have also been cases in British Columbia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Related article: Death toll rises to 5 in cantaloupe salmonella outbreak, number of infections nearly double
The majority of people who have become ill are children under the age of 5 or adults over the age of 65.
Shiyun Wang, a professor of food safety engineering at the University of British Columbia, says everyone should be concerned, regardless of age.
“Newborn babies, young children and the elderly are more vulnerable, but that doesn’t mean that perfectly healthy people don’t have to worry…that’s not true,” Wang says.
Southern Vancouver Island Country Grocer Craig Cabin says it’s best to avoid the fruit until cleared by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
“It’s probably caused by animal feces entering the plants as they grow,” he says. “It’s there. It’s been shipped and it’s already there.”
Salmonella symptoms These include fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Anyone with symptoms should contact a health care professional immediately.
With files from The Canadian Press
Cantaloupes photographed at a grocery store on Vancouver Island, December 9, 2023. (CHEK News)
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